When a problem arises on the farm, there is a good chance that someone in the world has already faced that same challenge. With the world becoming more and more global, the opportunity for farmers to share and learn from one another has grown immensely. When a disease hits animal production in one country, they can often look to another country to see how they overcome that challenge. Many countries are attempting to model their production after other countries with successful methods.

We asked you to submit a photograph that showed what the pig industry means to you for our Pigs in Focus Photo Contest. Each image in the contest holds a unique story that says a lot about agriculture and the great people in the industry.

When Paul Hill, president and founder of Willowgrove Hill, opened his presentation in The Marketing Forum with the gripping and tragic story of the loss of his son in 2001, the room collectively wiped away tears and held their breath. Based on their son’s fight with cancer and Paul’s father’s passing from a heart attack, Paul and Rosie resolved to become leaders in providing wellness-focused products. Twelve years later, Willowgrove Hill is now the only Canadian pork product that can make a health claim:

Looking at one product to fix our challenges will be a thing of the past. If you added a product for each challenge your animal faced you would be looking at a very expensive diet. Especially when you take into account the never ending challenge that is high feed costs. One thing that was realized in the Monogastric Programs not Products session at Alltech’s recent Symposium, was that tomorrow’s farmer will need more than just another product, they will need solutions and added value services that address the many obstacles that stand in their way.